Stay.



J. DUQUETTE.

STAY.

APPLICATION FILED APE. 22,1911.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Q4??? M w QwMalA Pmoumwn 60., WASHINGTON, n.

JENNIE DUQUETTE, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 22, 1911.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Serial No. 622,659.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JENNIE DU UETTE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicopee Falls, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Stays, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to means for staying or reinforcing standing or high collars for womens wear, particularly collars of flimsy material such as lace.

An object of the invention is to provide for the staying of such a collar in a manner markedly improved both in respect to the staying quality of the stay and comfort to the wearer.

The invention is set forth particularly in the following claim which should be read in connection with the accompanying draw ings, which show an illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which like characters designate corresponding parts, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view indicating the manner of use of the stay-frame; Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the collar stay-frames; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4: of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a rear edge view.

The invention is preferably embodied in the form of a truss-like integral frame A formed of a semi-rigid sheet material such as sheet celluloid, preferably white celluloid as nearly transparent as possible.

The stay-frame is made in pairs, rights and lofts, to bear respectively upon the shoulder of the wearer at the right and left side of the neck. A left is indicated in the figures, although it is, of course, to be understood, that a right is merely a symmetrical embodiment of a left.

Each stay-frame A is a truss-like structure of substantially a trapezoidal or truncated triangular outline formed by the basemember a, upper or collar supporting member 22 and the upwardly converging trusssupports f and g.

The members a and b are perforated with holes 2' to provide for their ready attachment to the collar by suitable stitches. The circumferential extent of each stay-frame about the neck of the wearer is only a comparatively small extent of the total collarcircumference, however, an important feature of the invention is the considerable circumferential extent of the base-member a and the contour of its lower edge providing for it an extensive bearing surface upon the shoulder of the wearer, so that the support of the stay-frame A cannot be localized upon any spot to cause abrasion or chafing. The actual curvature of the lower edge of base-member a is shown concave throughout its mid-portion and convex at the ends to prevent the same digging into the wearers neck.

The collar supporting member 5 is 0011- vexly curved along its terminal edge a and is higher at the end (5 than at the end 6, which ends are rounded off more acutely than is the mid-portion c to prevent the existence of abrading corners. The curved edge a is formed to approximate the throat curve of the collar and to support the same at its highest elevation at a locality approaching the end.

The upright supports f and g extend from the ends of the base-member a to the ends of the supporting member 0 and converge upwardly to. stiffen the structure by giving a truss-like formation. In the embodiment the edges of the uprights f and g are shown as graceful concave curves which particular design is intended to lend beauty to the stay-frame because of the fact that it is practically impossible for the same to be invisible. This design, however, forms no part of the present invention, but is the subject matter of my copending application for design patent, Serial No. 625655 filed May 6, 1911.

Each stay-frame may be warped or curved out of a vertical plane as indicated particularly in Figs. 3, 4: and 5 the better to adapt the same to the neck curvature of the wearer, although my truss-like formation for the stay-frame makes it possible to employ such semi-flexible material in the construction of my' frame that the same will adapt itself to the neck curvature and, at the same time, provide a practically rigid support or stay for holding the collar in upright position.

What is claimed and what is desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent 1s:

A stay-frame for attachment to a portion of and for supporting a standing collar of flexible material, said frame comprising a base-member having a lower edge of considerable extent circumferentially of the collar to be supported, adapted to rest on ber with the ends of the supporting-member 10 the shoulder of the wearer, but of a total to complete a truss-like stay-frame.

length equal to only a small fraction of the Signed by me at Springfield, Mass, in circumference of the said collar; a collarpresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

supporting-member of extensive but less said circumferential extent than the base- JENNIE DUQUETTE' member and having a convexly curved up- Vvitnessesz per edge; and upwardly converging up- WV. S. BELLoWs,

rights connecting the ends of the base-meni- G. R. DRISCOLL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). C. 

